AllGBP.Comhttp://allgbp.com
All Green Bay Packers All The Time - NFL FootballFri, 31 Jul 2015 21:12:07 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3ALLGBP.com Says Farewell, Hello Againhttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/14/allgbp-com-says-farewell-hello-again/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/14/allgbp-com-says-farewell-hello-again/#commentsSun, 14 Jun 2015 22:45:12 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39129It’s hard to believe it’s been six full years since I decided to start a Packers web site. Back in February of 2009, at the graphically challenged “Jersey Al’s Packers Blog,” I published my first article bidding farewell to Brett Favre. (It’s a pretty interesting read now, knowing what has transpired after that date).

It was Februry 11th, 2009, ten days after the Steelers had beaten the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. Favre had played out what we thought at the time was one last NFL season after being traded to the NY Jets. I thought it was time to say farewell to Brett and forgive & forget the events of the “Summer of Favre.”

Of course, farewell wasn’t really goodbye, as he later re-surfaced in the Purple and Gold of the Minnesota Vikings.

Somewhat like Brett Favre, we are saying goodbye here today (but with little drama), and with an immediate plan to re-surface elsewhere.

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: ALLGBP.com is merging with CheeseheadTV.com.

The two sites where, in my opinion, you find the best writing in the Packers blogosphere outside of the Packers beat writers, will now be one. ALLGBP.com and it’s great team of writers will be moving it’s content over to what I consider the most technologically advanced and groundbreaking Packers site of all.

No need to panic, fans of ALLGBP.com. All the same writers and their regular columns will still be coming your way, just from a different site, CheeseheadTV.com.

So many people through the years have told me that ALLGBP.com and CheeseheadTV.com were the two sites they make sure to read regularly. Well, we just made it easier for you didn’t we?

To all of the loyal readers of ALLGBP.com, I can’t thank you enough for your support. I hope we’ve done our jobs of entertaining and informing, and I’m counting on you to follow us over to CheeseheadTV. If you don’t already have a login setup over there, please do it now. Our first post will be tomorrow morning (Monday) and you don’t want to miss a thing.

Initially, this announcement post will remain on ALLGBP.com for a week or so, after which we will redirect all ALLGBP.com traffic directly over to CheeseheadTV.com. And then we’ll work on getting the entire archive of ALLGBP.com posts copied over to CheesehadTV.com.

I’m incredibly excited for this “joining of forces.” I’m confident that together we will create an absolutely cant-miss experience for Packers fans across the globe.

]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/14/allgbp-com-says-farewell-hello-again/feed/24Surviving Sunday: Packers News, Notes and Links for the Football Deprivedhttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/14/surviving-sunday-packers-news-notes-and-links-for-the-football-deprived-04-19-15-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/14/surviving-sunday-packers-news-notes-and-links-for-the-football-deprived-04-19-15-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/#commentsSun, 14 Jun 2015 12:00:06 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39117I’ve read a lot of about Aaron Rodgers and “trust” during the last few weeks of this painfully long and more-boring-than-usual Green Bay Packers offseason. Here’s a story about Rodgers trusting Davante Adams more. Here’s a story about what Jeff Janis has to do to gain Rodgers’ trust. Here’s one on what Janis has to do during practice to win the QB’s trust.

I’m not disagreeing with any of these stories and the value of trust between a quarterback and his receivers, but step back for a moment. How fortunate are the Packers that they have such a plethora of talent that they can place such an emphasis on trust? The answer is extremely fortunate.

Most teams don’t have the luxury of not playing guys who struggle or take longer than normal to grasp the playbook or offensive signals. The Packers are so deep at the pass-catching positions that they can hold players like Janis back or give Adams a reduced role as they learn and grow. It’s also a nice test to see if the up-and-coming players truly put in the time to earn the quarterback’s trust and grasp the offense instead of relying solely on their raw ability.

A lot of other teams probably find themselves playing receivers who aren’t quite ready mentally, but they have no choice because they don’t have a roster filled with the likes of Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.

On the other hand, I’m not so sure Rodgers should be using the trust talking point too often this offseason. The back-shoulder timing route — the one where Rodgers throws to the sideline, the receiver stops, turns toward the sideline and makes a contested catch — rarely worked in 2014. The receiver often kept running downfield and Rodgers ended up throwing to a large empty space out of bounds.

Rodgers obviously trusted his receivers to make those throws, but something was lost in the line of communication along the way.

In addition to continuing to build trust with his young receivers like Janis and Adams, Rodgers should also spend some time fine-tuning communications with his veteran weapons. The back-shoulder throw has always been a great weapon and I’d like to see Rodgers and company return it to glory in 2015.

Packers News, Notes and Links

Aaron Rodgers did a lot of media work this week. My favorite was probably this Pete Dougherty Q & A in the Green Bay Press Gazette.

As long as he stays healthy, I see no reason why Eddie Lacy won’t top the 1,100-yard mark again like he has his first two seasons.

There are 44 Packers set to appear in Jordy Nelson’s charity softball game. If I were a big-time professional athlete, I’d host a professional wrestling event instead of a softball game for my charity event.

Sam Shields says the Packers cornerbacks will be better than last season. Cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt says not so fast. My take: The potential is there to be better than last year, but potential and actual ability are two different worlds. We’ll see how the corners stack up after a couple of rough games, injuries and the ups and downs of an entire season.

The wrestling world lost one of the greatest of all time on Thursday when “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes died at the age of 69. Rhodes was one of the greatest promos (interviews) of all time. His “hard times” promo remains an all-time classic. Here’s a 4-hour podcast that covers the entire wrestling career of Rhodes.

Ghost is one of my favorite newish bands and they’ve got a new record coming out Aug. 23. Here’s the creepy (and awesome) video for the record’s first single.

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Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .

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http://allgbp.com/2015/06/14/surviving-sunday-packers-news-notes-and-links-for-the-football-deprived-04-19-15-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/feed/30Cory’s Corner: It all starts and ends up front for the Packershttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/13/corys-corner-it-all-starts-and-ends-up-front-for-the-packers/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/13/corys-corner-it-all-starts-and-ends-up-front-for-the-packers/#commentsSat, 13 Jun 2015 12:00:24 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39125Mike McCarthy isn’t big on lists and comparing one generation to another.

Remember this: “This offensive line, in my opinion, in my time here, has the chance to be the best offensive line that we’ve had.”

That was a proud and boastful McCarthy on July 25, 2014 — one day before starting his ninth training camp.

After the Packers re-signed one of the game’s most expensive right tackles in Bryan Bulaga in the offseason, McCarthy may have been right.

Success and failure is made and lost at the quarterback position. But the framework for that success is built around a quality and cohesive offensive line.

In the final 16 games, Green Bay’s offensive line never changed. The 112 quarterback pressures were the lowest since 2007, which is why Aaron Rodgers was only sacked 28 times last year.

The biggest surprise was easily center Corey Linsley. It’s not easy for a rookie to step in and play the first game of the year in Seattle — home of the most rabid fan base in the NFL. But he quickly was able to not only play well, but he morphed into the leader the unit desperately needed.

Everyone talks about Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson. But none of those guys do anything if the offensive line doesn’t hit its stride.

This is the same line that took the Packers within a whisper of a Super Bowl appearance last year. And now they’ve got a year to grow and get even better.

I’m not sure how much better Josh Sitton can be. He reminds me of the former Cowboys’ road grader Nate Newton. Newton didn’t earn a Pro Bowl invitation until 1992, when Dallas went on a string of winning three Super Bowls in four years. Sitton is a two-time Pro Bowler that has started every game since 2011. Sitton is three years younger than Newton was in 1992 and ready for a long run of consistency.

This team really does have all the tools. The defense got better with the news that Clay Matthews will be allowed to roam more often, and Seattle notwithstanding, the safety position could be the best in the NFC.

But none of those things matter without the benefit of a smart and functional offensive line. The Packers play Seattle, Kansas City and St. Louis in the first five games. It usually takes an NFL team four or five games to get going in order to really find out who they are. Those three teams averaged 41 sacks last year, which is why it’s even more important that the entire unit is coming back.

That means not just a lot more time for Rodgers — who can throw heat-seeking missiles anyway — but it also means that his confidence is going to skyrocket. His first two years as a starter he was sacked 84 times. The last two years Rodgers has been sacked 49 times.

That’s a Grand Canyon of disparity. That’s the difference between picking up a couple more 3rd-and-7s or locating a third receiver on 2nd-and-goal for a touchdown. And it’s the combination of all those little plays that may seem insignificant that are the difference between winning and losing.

Offensive linemen are easily the most unheralded group of guys in the NFL. Many of them barely get any media attention, and even when they do the majority of them ignore it.

But don’t ignore this Packers’ group. In the past, it’s always been a bunch of Misfit Toys, but not anymore. This line will lead an offense that will come close to breaking the efficiency barrier.

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Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter:
Cory Jennerjohn

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]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/13/corys-corner-it-all-starts-and-ends-up-front-for-the-packers/feed/40Goodson Paying Early Dividendshttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/12/goodson-paying-early-dividends/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/12/goodson-paying-early-dividends/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 17:00:05 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39111Last year, the Green Bay Packers had some difficult decisions to make when final roster cutdowns were due. Cornerback was a position of particular interest, as the team had sixth rounder Demetri Goodson in the mix and fighting for one of the last roster spots with undrafted free agent Jumal Rolle. Many though Rolle had a better preseason and would offer more to the defense, but Goodson was one of general manager Ted Thompson’s few prize draft picks and in the end, Goodson was the keep while Rolle was scooped up by the Houston Texans.

Throughout the 2014 season, Goodson failed to make much of an impression on the coaching staff and found himself relegated to spot duty on special teams. The former basketball star admittedly struggled to learn some of the defensive intricacies and scheme and as a result, did not see the field much at all. Goodson is still working on his game at corner and will certainly have his work cut out for him with two rookie defensive backs fighting for roster spots at the corner position.

But one thing Goodson has that they don’t is experience and he’s caught some eyes for his work on special teams. Head coach Mike McCarthy said after a recent spring practice that Goodson had jumped out at him on special teams. Given that McCarthy has spent more time with that unit and will be focusing on areas of the team other than just the offense, that’s a ringing endorsement for Goodson. It’s still early and “Meech”, as he’s called, hasn’t secured a roster spot for himself just yet. But he’s going about things the right way to do just that if he’s focusing on where he can help the team right away.

We’ll never know exactly what Rolle might have done for the secondary last season, but given that the Packers should have won the NFC and had only themselves to blame for not getting it done, it’s fair to say that the decision to keep Goodson wasn’t detrimental to the Packers. Earlier this week, I lauded Thompson for his decision-making when it comes to personnel and contracts. Here’s another area where he tends to get it right more often than not. Keeping Goodson is appearing to be paying some small dividends now and he’ll have a chance to contribute quite a bit on special teams throughout training camp. If he continues his solid play in that area, Goodson may carve out a nice and important role for himself on the 2015 Packers roster.

﻿]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/12/goodson-paying-early-dividends/feed/41Rodgers and Favre at 31 – Same Age But Different Resultshttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/12/rodgers-and-favre-at-31-same-age-but-different-results/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/12/rodgers-and-favre-at-31-same-age-but-different-results/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 11:58:55 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39102CBS Sports recently had an interesting feature predicting the number of wins for each of the NFL teams this year including the Green Bay Packers. Per Bovada Sports Book the over/under for the Packers season is 11 wins. The CBS Sports experts chose the ‘over’ for the Packers – meaning that their expectation is for 12-16 wins. The Packers have only won as many as 12 games in a season three times in the McCarthy era. 12 is a lofty number indeed.

Should the Packers reach that number it will equal the Packers win total under quarterback Brett Favre when he was 31 years old. In 2001 Favre was the same age as Rodgers is this year – 31 about to turn 32. Rodgers will turn 32 on December 2.

In 2001 Favre had already won Super Bowl XXXI in 1996 with the expectation to win even more during his Packers career. But as we now know it was his only SB victory.

Favre’s 2001 team finished 12-4-0 good for 2nd in NFC Central Division. They finished second to the Bears who were 13-3. The Bears lasted only one game in the playoffs where they were trounced by the Philadelphia Eagles 33-19.

That Packers offense scored 390 points (24.4/g), 5th in the NFL. The defense allowed 266 points (16.6/g) which was also 5th in the league. Differential of 124 points (7.8/g), 6th in the league. They too were predicted to win 11 games that year.

The parallels to the makeup of the 2001 Packers team and this year’s squad are very similar.

Favre had his strongest offensive line combination in Clifton, Wahle, Flanigan, Rivera, and Tauscher. It went on to become the finest offensive line in 20 years.

This year’s OL with another year of experience together is expected to return in tact offering Rodgers the best offensive line of his career.

The playmakers then and now were also similar in talent.

Favre’s receivers were Freeman, Bradford, Schroeder, and TE Franks. Running backs were Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens with big FB William Henderson blocking. The sum total was pretty effective.

The Packers primary receivers this year have been rated by Bleacher Report as the best in the NFL with Cobb, Nelson, Adams, and R.Rodgers at TE. The running backs of Lacy and Starks compares favorably to Favre’s double threat duo as does the fullback. Given our perspective today, this year’s talent should surpass that of the 2001 squad.

The Minister of Defense Reggie White had moved on by this time, but the defense was strong. Vonnie Holiday, Gilbert Brown, Darren Sharper, LeRoy Butler, Tyrone Williams and Bernardo Harris formed a solid nucleus.

The Packers defense of 2015 lacks the big name recognition of the 2001 club, but there is reason to believe that the defense can become a top-ten outfit once again. Favre’s defense was probably better than this year’s bunch.

This however is where the similarities will end.

The pieces were there in 2001 for a second Favre Super Bowl run.

The Packers defeated the 49’ers in the Wild Card game at Lambeau Field. They advanced to face off against the St. Louis Rams.

The Kurt Warner lead Rams, the self-proclaimed Greatest Show on Turf, steam-rolled to a league-best 14-2 record. The Packers ended up losing to the Rams 45-17. The Rams eventually went on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

That Rams game may have been Favre’s worst game in a Packers uniform. Although he threw two touchdowns he also threw six interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, In addition the Packers fumbled the ball 3 times with the Rams recovering on two of those occasions.

One can easily envision the Packers winning 12 during the upcoming season.

The offense returns intact. The defense seems poised to make a strong push to prominence once again. The special teams cannot be worse than they were last year – so by default will be better.

Should the Pack indeed win 12 games it is hard to envision that record not earning a bye in the NFC. It is also inconceivable that the ever-careful Aaron Rodgers would ever self-destruct as Favre ended up doing against the Rams. The Packers may lose games, but most often it is not directly attributed to Rodgers miscues.

Will it be enough for a Super Bowl victory this year? According to betting site Bovada, the Packers are 7-1 odds to win it all, bested only by NFC nemesis Seattle Seahawks listed at 6-1. I am not a betting man, but I like the Rodgers to accomplish what Favre could not at the same age.

That is to conclude the season with a Super Bowl victory.

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Jeff Albrecht grew up just north of Green Bay and was lucky enough to attend some of the Lombardi Era classic games, like the 1962 championship and the Ice Bowl. Jeff went on to play HS football in the Green Bay area and College ball at UW - Stevens Point. Jeff is retired but still does some writing for his local paper. Jeff is a writer with AllGreenBayPackers.com and you can follow him on twitter at @pointerjeff .

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]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/12/rodgers-and-favre-at-31-same-age-but-different-results/feed/172016 Super Bowl Odds – Packers Trail only the Seahawkshttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/11/2016-super-bowl-odds-packers-trail-only-the-seahawks/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/11/2016-super-bowl-odds-packers-trail-only-the-seahawks/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 04:55:06 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39081The Packers completed the second of two Organized Team Activities (OTAs) sessions this past week, with a plethora of eager new faces traversing the field, looking to get noticed. The focus for the coaching staff is now solely on putting together a 53-man roster that will compete for a chance to play in the next Super Bowl.

Almost five months have passed since the Packers flaming exit from the NFC Championship game. The Seattle Seahawks, the team that came out on top in that game after the most improbable of comebacks, has the edge over the Packers yet again – this time from the oddsmakers.

A quick poll of popular sports betting sites mostly show the Seahawks as the 6-1 favorites to win the next Super Bowl, with the Packers at 7-1, the current Super Bowl Champion Patriots at 7.5-1 and the Indianapolis Colts at 8-1.

Of course, the Patriots odds dropped thanks to the “Deflategate” scandal and the possibility of Tom Brady (he who is strongly in favor of soft balls) being suspended for as many as four games. So the Packers, who apparently play with balls in their natural (and approved) state, moved up a notch in the futures odds standings.

But with the Seahawks having traded for a major new offensive weapon in TE Jimmy Graham, the oddsmakers believe they are the best bet to get back to the Super Bowl, where this past February they had an imminent second straight Super Bowl victory snatched away by Patriots rookie Malcom Butler’s goal line interception.

While Packers fans have moved on from the meltdown against Seattle, one has to remember just how dominant the Packers were against the Super Bowl favorites in their stadium for most of that game. Carbon Sports, one of America’s leading sports betting sites, seems to remember, as they have the Packers’ odds equal to those of the Seahawks at 6-1.

When the book closes on the 2015 NFL season, will the Packers still be “behind” the Seahawks?

]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/11/2016-super-bowl-odds-packers-trail-only-the-seahawks/feed/15Packing the Stats: The Packers Have Traded Deep Passes for Run Playshttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/11/packing-the-stats-the-packers-have-traded-deep-passes-for-run-plays/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/11/packing-the-stats-the-packers-have-traded-deep-passes-for-run-plays/#commentsThu, 11 Jun 2015 13:00:24 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39095Since Aaron Rodgers took over the reigns from Brett Favre in 2008 the Packers have been known as a pass-first team.

Back in 2008 the NFL was still a fairly balanced league with an average 52/48 split in pass to run calls. The Packers were one of the teams that saw they could exploit defenses through the air much easier than they could by keeping a more balanced mix of run and pass.

The first five seasons of Rodgers being a starter the Packers called for a pass on 58.5 percent of plays, much higher than the 53 percent that was the NFL average over that time. Highlighted by their 61 percent of called pass plays in 2011.

Over time the NFL has become a passing league and percentages of pass plays have risen every season in the NFL since 2008. The NFL has become a passing league, which means the Packers once again have started to go against the grain.

Well, at least sort of.

Since 2012 the Packers have embraced the run and slowly started to come down closer to league average in percent of called pass plays.

The graph above shows that the Packers did call for a pass on roughly 1.5 percent of plays more often than the NFL average last season, a far cry from 2011. Even though they are still passing more than most teams, there is no doubt that gap is closing.

That gap closure has started with the drafting of Eddie Lacy. Last season was by percentage the lowest amount of passes called in Aaron Rodgers’ starting career.

The four seasons before Eddie Lacy was drafted the Packers passed on 59 percent of plays. That number has dropped two percent down to 57 percent since Lacy has been on the team.

Oddly enough, the area that has been sacrificed in favor of the run game has been deep pass attempts. Going into last season the Packers averaged attempting a deep pass (a pass 20+ yards in the air) on 12.9 percent of plays since 2008. Last season that number dropped to a Rodgers career low 10.8 percent.

The two percent added to the amount of run plays and taken away from the deep passes may not seem like much, but that’s nearly 20 percent of the deep pass attempts taken away.

That’s interesting to think about because Rodgers has been one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the NFL at throwing the deep ball over his career. Ranking first or second in accuracy on deep passes each of the last four seasons.

While the two percent drop in deep passes last season went directly to two percent more run plays, it hasn’t changed the efficiency that they ran those deep pass plays with. Rodgers’ 18.5 yards per attempt on deep passes was the second best of his career, second only to his unbelievable 2011 MVP season.

Since Lacy joined the team the Packers have thrown sub-twenty-yard passes at the exact same rate that they did pre-Lacy, 46 percent of the time. Clearly the strategy to cut down on the deep passes worked because they were as efficient as ever in the deep game and the Packers’ offense was second in the NFL in scoring at 29.7 points per game last year.

Going forward with coach McCarthy giving up play calling this coming season, it will definitely be something to watch to see how, if at all, the offense changes.

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Mike Reuter lives in the Twin Cities and is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas. He is a mobile tech enthusiast, a 19 year Gopher Football season ticket holder and a huge Packers fan.
Mike is a writer with AllGreenBayPackers.com and you can follow him on twitter at @uofmike.

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]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/11/packing-the-stats-the-packers-have-traded-deep-passes-for-run-plays/feed/12Packers Expiring Contracts: Trust Tedhttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/10/packers-expiring-contracts-trust-ted/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/10/packers-expiring-contracts-trust-ted/#commentsWed, 10 Jun 2015 17:00:57 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39085The Green Bay Packers currently have 22 players under contract whose contracts expire after this season. Many of those players are undrafted free agents on the usual one-year deals, but there are a few big names that will become the center of contract extension discussions very soon. Among those are defensive lineman Mike Daniels, cornerback Casey Hayward, safety Sean Richardson and possibly even defensive lineman B.J. Raji. General manager Ted Thompson has been very choosy with who he decides to negotiate with and make big offers to and has proven to be right most of the time. Over the past two years, he has cast away Charles Woodson, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Tramon Williams. In each case, the Packers overcame the loss and didn’t really miss a beat. In looking to this next year, we have to continue to think Ted will continue to evaluate and make the right decision.

Of those players mentioned, Raji holds the highest draft pick status, as the ninth overall pick in the 2009 season. Raji missed all of last season after suffering a bicep injury late in the preseason. Prior to that, Raji had bet on himself and rejected a multi year, multi million dollar contract offer by the Packers the year prior. He never got that deal and settled for a one-year, “prove it” deal worth $4 million. Raji will have to prove it once again in 2015, as he’s back on another one-year deal. Raji is far from consideration on an extension and will need to perform at a career-best level often this season before the Packers start throwing an offer his way.

Daniels is the biggest name on the list and the most likely to get a lucrative extension from the Packers. Daniels has 12 sacks over the last two seasons and has become the team’s most explosive defensive lineman during that time. He’s not in the All Pro category just yet, but Daniels has turned the corner and has no trouble making plays on a regular basis. As long as the Packers continue to run a version of the 3-4 and as much nickel as they do, Daniels is a huge asset to the defense and his value cannot be underestimated. The Packers often keep themselves in good financial shape so that they never have to let one of their own young veterans walk away. Daniels is a near perfect example of why Green Bay takes that approach. The Packers need to get Daniels locked up before he hits the open market but after watching them wait to re-sign receiver Randall Cobb and do so at a team-friendly price, it seems likely that they’ll be able to keep Daniels either way. It won’t be cheap, but he’s probably worth being slightly overpaid.

Richardson is back on a $2 million deal. The team chose to match the offer sheet Richardson had signed with the Oakland Raiders during free agency. Richardson has been an asset on special teams and played a decent number of snaps on defense as well last season. Defensive coordinator Dom Capers likes to try different rotations and looks and with Richardson, the team gets a third safety on the field who can moonlight as a linebacker in run support or in short coverage. Last training camp, Richardson made a few nifty plays and showed that he’s more than just a special teamer. Hopefully this new contract motivates him to earn another for a longer term. Right now, Richardson isn’t on the Packers’ radar, but they didn’t throw multi millions at him for no reason and he’ll get a chance to start earning his next payday sooner than later this season.

Hayward is an interesting situation because he finds himself injured again. In his rookie season of 2012, he was leading the league in interceptions at one point. It seemed as though the Packers may have found the heir apparent to Woodson and were in great shape. Then came the injuries. Hayward missed most of the 2013 season after suffering a hamstring injury during the offseason. Hayward is dealing with another offseason injury, an ankle, and won’t be ready to participate in practice until training camp later next month. While his talent is undeniable, Hayward has to prove that he can stay on the field and continue to do so. Despite his big-play ability, the Packers are likely weary of throwing any type of significant money at Hayward right now and likely won’t begin negotiating with him until very close to the free agent time period next year. That can all change if Hayward gets healthy, wins the starting outside corner spot opposite Sam Shields and has a great year. That’s what the Packers are hoping for and they’d likely reward Hayward for returning on that hope.

Other notable names on the “expiring contract” list are James Starks, Andrew Quarless, Scott Tolzien, Don Barclay, John Kuhn and Brett Goode. Of those, Starks and Tolzien have a good chance to be back in Green Bay if they turn in a solid season this year. If Richard Rodgers develops further and sixth-round tight end Kennard Backman can crack the roster somehow, Quarless may be in his last season as a Packer. Kuhn is likely on his farewell tour either way, as the team spent a sixth-round pick on Aaron Ripkowski. Barclay and Goode could go either way and the Packers would likely survive the loss of either or both.

The good news is that we won’t likely have to speculate much more on this topic for another seven months. Training camp starts in seven weeks and that means real football is right around the corner!

﻿]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/10/packers-expiring-contracts-trust-ted/feed/30Mike McCarthy: the Evolving Coach Not Afraid of Change and Riskhttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/10/mike-mccarthy-the-evolving-coach-not-afraid-of-change/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/10/mike-mccarthy-the-evolving-coach-not-afraid-of-change/#commentsWed, 10 Jun 2015 12:00:40 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39063We’ve all heard the adage that the NFL stands for “Not For Long.” Either you keep up and adapt, or you find a new line of work.

Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has received plenty of criticism for hanging onto loyalties and not making the change when he probably should have. The most notable examples include sticking with defensive coordinator Dom Capers and special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum through several successive years of struggle.

Capers appears to have a job for life, but at least McCarthy finally wrote the pink slip for Slocum after a disastrous 2014 season. McCarthy understood that special teams were one of major factors preventing the Packers from winning another championship.

However, over the years, McCarthy has made several shrewd changes that led to positive results, so he has a track record of evolution. He’s definitely not afraid of change when change is needed.

Let’s look at some of these major changes.

Quarterback Brett Favre seemed irreplaceable and set for life as the Packers’ starting quarterback as long as he wanted it. Yet, McCarthy showed that was definitely not the case.

There are reports that McCarthy wanted to give Favre the hook at halftime during the 2007 NFC Championship game against the New York Giants. Maybe he should have, and there might have been a different result. I guess we’ll never know, but it’s worth noting because of what happened next.

The following off season proved to be Favre’s end in Green Bay. After a protracted retirement drama, general manager Ted Thompson and McCarthy refused to allow Favre to come back, signifying the beginning of the Aaron Rodgers era. McCarthy had groomed Rodgers for three years, and knew he was ready. Rodgers was in fact ready, and he just needed an opportunity to get on the field.

That was a pretty gutsy move by McCarthy, and it’s the kind that can end a job if you’re wrong. You’re taking a hall of fame quarterback and replacing him with an unknown who everyone passed on in the draft. Not to mention that McCarthy also passed on him during his time in San Francisco as offensive coordinator.

Botching the quarterback position has cost many coaches their jobs. Just ask Rex Ryan and anyone who coached in Cleveland the last 15 years.

However, not only did McCarthy get it right, he hit the jackpot. Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL right now. If he would have hung on to Favre for another year or two, we might have never seen the Aaron Rodgers show.

Next, after a disappointing 2008 season when the Packers fell to a 6-10 record, McCarthy once again made a major change, and it was also a change of considerable risk.

This type of change is no small feat because not only does it require different vocabulary and playing technique, but oftentimes very different personnel to execute the scheme.

The switch to Capers and the 3-4 defense cannot be understated and glossed over because he made the transition after his third season as head coach. In the era of “win now,” head coaches are given four or five seasons to show they belong and can turn a program around.

Had the switch to Capers’ 3-4 defense not gone smoothly, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility that Thompson would have fired McCarthy after his fourth season. The 2007 NFC Championship Game likely bought McCarthy some time, as did the switch to Rodgers, but back-to-back losing seasons are usually the death knell for many coaches.

McCarthy couldn’t predict the future, but those drastic moves at the quarterback position and the entire defensive scheme paid off very quickly and the Packers won the Super Bowl following the 2010 season. That’s pretty remarkable, and would only have been possible if a coach was willing to make changes. High risk, high reward.

This following off season McCarthy has also made another major change. While he claims it’s not an overreaction or anything fans need to consider too seriously, we all know differently.

After coming close to the top, but falling short, McCarthy decided to shake up his coaching staff’s responsibilities.

He removed himself as play caller, promoted Tom Clements to associate head coach and play caller, and promoted Edgar Bennett to offensive coordinator.

McCarthy claims these changes will free him up to manage more of the game as a whole, including paying more attention to special teams and defensive strategy.

Play calling is one of the most highly sought and enviable positions on the coaching staff, so it took a major change of heart and trust in his assistants to abdicate that responsibility. Furthermore, the Packers’ offense has been a well oiled machine as of late, so it’s easy to scream “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” That’s true, but McCarthy obviously felt he could improve his entire team by handing over the offense to someone else. Another huge risk.

Also, somewhere in that transition, Alex Van Pelt was given the dual responsibility of being both the quarterbacks and wide receivers coaches. This is actually a very interesting event because now Van Pelt has joint meetings of quarterbacks and receivers in the same room. It’s intended to prevent anything from falling through the cracks and to ensure that everyone sees the same thing.

This sort of outside-of-the-box thinking isn’t very common in the “Not For Long” football world where everyone else copies everyone’s script.

It’s way too early to tell if any of these changes will have a positive effect, or even a negative effect for that matter. But, they are exciting to think about as we approach training camp.

The bottom line is that McCarthy doesn’t make changes very often, but when he does, they make headlines. I admire that he doesn’t make changes for the sake of change, but only when he truly feels he needs to make a transition. His changes aren’t without risk, but they usually pay off.

I’m very excited to see how the 2015 season season unfolds. Based on McCarthy’s track record, his changes bring quick success. He has managed to win 101 games, five division titles, and a Super Bowl.

]]>http://allgbp.com/2015/06/10/mike-mccarthy-the-evolving-coach-not-afraid-of-change/feed/13Cory’s Corner: Jared Abbrederis has his work cut out for himhttp://allgbp.com/2015/06/09/corys-corner-jared-abbrederis-has-his-work-cut-out-for-him/
http://allgbp.com/2015/06/09/corys-corner-jared-abbrederis-has-his-work-cut-out-for-him/#commentsTue, 09 Jun 2015 17:00:41 +0000http://allgbp.com/?p=39057Jared Abbrederis came to the Packers with plenty of promise last year.

Then July 30 happened.

That’s when he tore his ACL in practice, which caused the Wisconsin standout receiver to miss his first pro season.

“You just have to look to the positives, try to find positives,” Abbrederis said last year after getting informed of the bad news. “I’m just ready to get to work, get surgery, get it fixed it up and get ready for next year.”

Well, next year is here. But now it’s going to be tougher than last year. First, he never played in a game, so technically this is truly his rookie season. Second, he has to get past the injury. Since his game relies on quickness that involves cutting and stopping, the mental hurdle will be a big step.

However, the biggest thing for Abbrederis to overcome is the crowded wide receiver field. Davante Adams is already penciled in as the No. 3 receiver and Jeff Janis has really wowed so far in OTAs. Also, Ty Montgomery was drafted in the third round out of Stanford this past spring as a versatile threat that includes special teams — a role Abbrederis was expected to fill.

Add in starters Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb and the Packers have the deepest set of receivers in the league.

Unless, the Packers do the unthinkable and trade one of them for, say, an outside linebacker, Abbrederis’ back is to the wall.

Mike McCarthy has said recently that “Jeff Janis has definitely been moving forward. I thought he definitely came on last year.” That has to give Abbrederis pause, because Janis was a seventh round flier that has continually gotten better ever since he came to Green Bay.

Abbrederis had what equates to a medical redshirt last year. He sat out the entire season without a coach being able to see him play in an NFL game. It would’ve been different if he got hurt in Week 2, because at least he would’ve had some film for everyone to see.

This training camp for Abbrederis will be like going back home for Thanksgiving dinner as an adult — but being banished to the children’s table.

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Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter:
Cory Jennerjohn